Unlicensed Businesses Are Operating At South County Mine, Residents Allege

LOTHIAN, MD — Residents recently alleged that unlicensed businesses are operating at a quarry in southern Anne Arundel County. The group is taking the company to court, claiming that the mine operator has exceeded the scope of its longstanding permit.

A press release said the legal battle surrounds The Belle Grove Corporation, which runs the Westport Reclamation quarry located in Lothian at 4944 Sands Road. That site has had a special exception permit for a sand and gravel mine since 1967.

The organizers also said the permit has never been renewed or reviewed.

The group pointed to recent inspections from the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Anne Arundel County government as evidence that Bell Grove is exceeding the uses allowed under its permit.

"Unregulated truck trips at the Westport Reclamation site result in at least 75-100 trucks entering the community per day on narrow, rural roads," the release said. "For decades, residents of Lothian and Harwood have been forced to breathe in diesel fumes and face nonstop industrial truck traffic that has resulted in truck accidents and put local pedestrians and children at risk."

Community Demands Action

The locals said the county has the power to review the company's permit if "the use of the property deviated from the approved administrative site plan, an allowed use under the rezoning, or any conditions imposed."

The group said it filed a petition in court on July 21 to start that process. The activists have been in contact with Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and urged him to revoke the permit.

"The citizens of Sands Road have the right to a quality of life free from the air, water and noise pollutants that put our health at risk," said Dr. Tracy O. Garrett, who is one of the Lothian residents that filed the complaint. "Our environmental and human rights are being constantly violated and jeopardized."

Patuxent Riverkeeper Fred Tutman is also frustrated with the quarry. The resident of nearby Upper Marlboro thinks Lothian has too many facilities that pollute the local air and water.

"How much is too much and how long is too long?" Tutman asked in the release. "The County owes it to citizens to review and correct this special exception that was created way before most of our present-day environmental regulations existed."

The MidAtlantic Justice Coalition has worked with the Lothian and Harwood communities throughout the process. Jay Monteverde, a support team lead for the advocacy organization, said south county natives have spent decades demanding solutions to the industrial traffic in the area. Monteverde thinks the congestion has instead gotten worse.

"Their persistence uncovered that this facility has been allowed to operate virtually unsupervised for over half a century," Monteverde said of the activists calling for action. "The county government must do its job and protect local residents by controlling industrial activity."

Next Steps

The lawsuit will have a judicial hearing this Thursday at 1:15 p.m. in the District Court for Anne Arundel County, another release said. The hearing will happen in Courtroom 1 of the Robert F. Sweeney Building, located in Annapolis at 251 Rowe Blvd.

The case title is Anne Arundel County v. The Belle Grove Corporation, the second release said. The case number is D-07-CV-22-008583.

Patch requested a comment from The Belle Grove Corporation. The company has not yet responded. We will update this story if the business replies.